JICO SAS UPDATE...

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ghamilton

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Response from JICO:...
Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry for this late reply.

Are you asking about the SAS, neoSAS/S and neoSAS/R stylus? If so, below is the answer for your question:



We have so many orders of SAS, neoSAS/S and neoSAS/R stylus. We have temporary changed all the SAS, neoSAS/S and neoSAS/R display hide on JICO Web Shop.



The specific date to take order for SAS again is undecided. We apologize for any inconvenience we caused. Please wait a little while for new information about SAS stylus.



Are we answering your question correctly? If not, we would appreciate if you could reword your question to be more specific.



Sincerely,

Hiromi Hirata
 
so, what was the question?

I would assume that the question was simply "When will the SAS be available again."

If so, after all this time, I think it's safe to assume that the answer is probably "Never", or at least "Probably never."

I think another safe assumption is that Seth Kolon, "noisemodule" here on AK, no longer works for JICO. It's apparent that whoever the person corresponding with English speakers on behalf of JICO is not fluent in the language.
 
I think another safe assumption is that Seth Kolon, "noisemodule" here on AK, no longer works for JICO.

I agree.I sent him a PM quite some time ago and never received a reply.The inquiry I submitted directly to JICO also went unanswered.
 
I can't say I'm disappointed, I haven't jumped on the SAS bandwagon.

To me, the value in a company like JICO is that they provide high quality needles for cartridges that would otherwise be obsolete.
 
JICO in my mind is an outstanding manufacturer of styli but a mediocre (at best) retailer of their own products. I guess we'll see what LPGear does with their retailing of JICO products in the US.

What have you purchased from them?
 
If so, after all this time, I think it's safe to assume that the answer is probably "Never", or at least "Probably never."

I wouldn't be so sure about that, it seems they still offer the SAS for the Japanese market but with a couple weeks lead in time (as of Feb this year). Looks like they just simply couldn't keep up with the orders for whatever reasons.

If it were me, I would be working on increasing supply since there's is more demand to be met. But in the case of SAS styli, if there's no supply problems further up the chain for Jico, for them that probably means training new people to build them. Didn't it used to be just one guy who basically did them all (and about to retire or something), at least that seemed to be word on the street? :) It's entirely possible it's still that one guy building them, but maybe he's also teaching the work to other people... but who knows, certainly not me, but since they have gone the route for having an official distributor in the US, it would seem logical they are at least trying to figure out a way to make SAS available internationally again.
 
To me, the value in a company like JICO is that they provide high quality needles for cartridges that would otherwise be obsolete.

There is no "value" (to me) in a company or their products if I cannot obtain one in a timely manner--right now, preferably. Custom work is a different story--I am willing to wait for something being built only for me and to my specifications, but if you offer an "off the shelf" line of standard products, they need to be "on the shelf" ready to ship.

JICO in my mind is an outstanding manufacturer of styli but a mediocre (at best) retailer of their own products.

YUP--never had an issue with their products--only obtaining them during my lifetime.

I find Schitt to be a very similar situation. I have been attracted to some of their products after all the reviews and opportunities to play with some of them, but every time I go to buy one, they are on "backorder" for weeks or months. Soooo... NEXT--you are not the only game in town, and I want it NOW--not weeks or months from now. If a product is for sale, it needs to be available for purchase.
 
I only put the original boron SAS on my V15IV V and M91ED carts when they were decently priced. Now my go to stylus upgrades are the Jico HE and Vividline. Are the new neo SAS prices justified-I guess it depends on your flavor and budget!
 
There is no "value" (to me) in a company or their products if I cannot obtain one in a timely manner--right now, preferably. Custom work is a different story--I am willing to wait for something being built only for me and to my specifications, but if you offer an "off the shelf" line of standard products, they need to be "on the shelf" ready to ship.

.

I just bought a pair of JICO needles for my Shure M44 cartridge, they were at my doorstep in under 10 days.

Built just like the originals...:)
 
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I have not bought from them, but have the following criticisms of their retail site operation:

1) Their site search function is poor, IMO.
2) They publish zero specs for their styli. I know of no way to confirm things like recommended VTA and tip sizes without emailing them.
3) Their shipping rates are very high compared to other international shippers. I have recently bought tubes from Russia, paid $4 shipping, also $4 from Ukraine. Before that I paid $3 for shipping from China. They are shipping tiny items that weigh nothing for $22.
4) The confusion and misdirection regarding their SAS cuts has proven to me that they are a manufacturer that is not particularly adept at the requirements of effective direct retailing.

None of this is intended to take away their excellence in manufacturing, nor do I not appreciate that they are the best/only game in town for cartridges that are no longer made. I do, however, hope that their partnership with LPGear will make it easier for the consumer in the areas noted above.

What have you purchased from them?
 
I have not bought from them, but have the following criticisms of their retail site operation:
.

'nuff said.

If you care more about convenience than quality, then there's nothing to argue about. You have your priorities.

JICO manufactures a high quality product. I'm glad that they offer them directly to the public so that we know exactly what we are getting. There are endless threads that chew the fat about who makes EVG, Pfanstiehl, Tonar, etc. etc. and where they are made. It doesn't matter much to me where and who makes them, they are inferior to JICO and inferior to the originals.
 
If you know what cartridge you have and the specs of the original stylus, that's all you need to know. JICO, unlike some of the other after-market manufacturers, replicate the originals. The main difference is that all of their ellipticals are .3 x .7 rather than .2 x .7 or .4 x .7. Also, all of their conicals are .6 mil.

I spent some time listening to a M75ED cartridge with an original Shure N75ED Type 2 (nude .2 x .7 mil tip). Swapping it out for a JICO N75ED T2, I could hear no difference at all in the quality of the sound.

We have the awesome resource of this very forum. Have a question?... just ask...:)
 
We have the awesome resource of this very forum. Have a question?... just ask...

Yes, this is an awesome forum with a pool of very knowledgeable members willing to answer questions and share experiences--no doubt.

But how exactly does this excuse the purveyor of any goods or services from providing relevant technical information regarding said product or service up-front?

How arrogant of me is it to expect that you will just "take my word for it", that this will be as good or better than what you have--from a distance of thousands of miles away?

I don't even put that much faith in a face-to-face transaction with a sales representative.
 
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